The election of Pope Francis inspired an immediate slew of biographies, but Stephen B. Whatley decided he would do something different — he would paint him. His oil on canvas portrait of the Argentine pope, measuring 28 inches by 20 inches, has now been unveiled at a Westminster Cathedral exhibition that runs until Aug. 22.
With admiration and big smiles all around, the lifelong soccer fan Pope Francis met the star players and coaches of the Argentine and Italian national soccer teams hoping to compete for the World Cup in 2014.
A pair of priests have been denounced to the Interior Ministry for allegedly stirring up social unrest in a southern Mexican state rife with violence and vigilante movements.
During World Youth Day celebrations in Rio de Janeiro, July 23-28, many worshippers in the crowds could be seen swaying from side to side, arms raised in the air, wearing rapt or joyous expressions on their faces.
The last formal exhortation to the 115 cardinals who elected Pope Francis in March included reminders of the importance of presenting the Catholic faith in its entirety, the need to recognize the errors of church members and the need for unity within the Catholic community.
Cardinal Albert Malcolm Ranjith of Colombo, Sri Lanka, expressed “shock and distress” in accusing the military of storming a Catholic church and firing on residents who had sought refuge there.
As part of the Vatican’s ongoing efforts to ensure that all its financial activity complies with international standards, particularly those aimed at preventing money laundering and the financing of terrorism, Pope Francis has expanded the role and the reach of the Vatican’s Financial Intelligence Authority.
Church spokesmen in Belarus said Catholics are “uneasy and disquieted” by the lack of information on the status of a parish priest arrested in early June for alleged spying.
As Ghanaians await the Supreme Court’s ruling on a challenge to the outcome of the country’s 2012 presidential, the Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference called on the country’s two political parties to accept the ruling in peace.
Israeli archaeologists have restored part of a 2,000-bed Crusader-era hospital run by the St. John of the Hospital order in the Old City of Jerusalem.